“Serving the Maya – the Maya Serving Us: a Strategy for Mutual Benefit”
PROJECT SUMMARY
The Maya Heritage Community Project (MHCP) works with the Maya in Georgia, but has developed strong ties with Maya communities in Florida, South Carolina, California, Colorado, and elsewhere.
INTERDISIPLINARY NATURE OF THE PROJECT
From the beginning of the project in 2001, a dozen faculty members and several dozen students have taken part in the Project. Faculty have come from diverse parts of the campus, including Nursing, Education, Political Science, History, Human Services, Languages, Art, and Communications, some of them have completed research projects, others have concentrated on service projects. Student interns and students doing directed studies have come from History, Political Science, International Affairs, Languages, and Nursing. MHCP is an approved Peace Corps Fellows/USA program, and currently four Fellows work for MHCP.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The strategy of the Maya Project has been based on the premise that university service activities can and should have academic merit as well. The Maya Project creates academic and service learning opportunities that prepare students for employment in such fields as health, law, and human services. The Maya Project also works to educate Maya about United States’ law, health, and customs; and educate the USA about the ancient and modern culture of the Maya. Various programs of the Maya Project have included a series of health clinics, law seminars, English classes, and seminars on highway safety. In return, the Maya have spoken to classes at university, and participated in various university programs. In 2006, Kennesaw State University Press published a book written and compiled by students and faculty, that reported on two national Maya conferences held in 2004 and 2005, and contained essays written by faculty and Maya. (KSU also held national conferences in 2003, 2006, 2007.)
BENEFITS OF THIS MODEL
This model allows students and faculty a chance to engage in a program of research that simultaneously helps the target people, and educates the Georgian citizens about this group of new immigrants. Faculty and student projects have focused on public policy issues concerning undocumented workers, health and education situations among the Maya, historic forces behind illegal immigration, to name a few. The model will inform and educate the university, the Maya, and Georgia citizens and policy makers.
CHALLENGES OF ENGAGING FACULY AND STUDENTS
The main challenge is that few Maya speak English, making communication difficult for those without sufficient Spanish. Indeed, almost ½ of the Maya women connected to the project speak neither English nor Spanish (speaking only one of the Maya languages), adding to the isolation of this group. Regardless of the language difficulty, it has been easy finding student and faculty with enthusiasm for the Maya Project.